Amazon and Netflix are winners, with or without Oscar nominations

LOS ANGELES — When Netflix nabbed its first Oscar nomination in 2014 for its documentary The Square, the entertainment landscape had only just begun to change.

The Los Gatos-based streaming giant had already proven its might in the TV world after its original political thriller House of Cards became the first web-only show to win an award at the Primetime Emmys. But when it came to feature films, a theatrical release was still considered the golden standard.

Fast forward two years, and Netflix again has nabbed nominations for documentary features: What Happened, Miss Simone? and Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

While this is definitely a feat worth celebrating, most post-nomination chatter about streaming services focused on how the company's first non-documentary feature film — Beasts of No Nation — got shut out. Similarly, Amazon Studios, which also released its first fictional feature in 2015 — Spike Lee's Chi-Raq — received no recognition. One Hollywood headline read: "Netflix, Amazon Strike Out in Hunt for Major Oscar Nods."

But Amazon and Netflix didn't strike out — they're just warming up.

Idris Elba deserved a nomination over Cranston/Damon, but BoNN is a Netflix film. Hollywood hates Netflix. It's not racism #OscarNoms

The popular streaming platforms have spent years paying their dues — making the rounds at all the major film festivals, courting top-tier talent and generating buzz with unique originals.

They have billboards plastered in all the right Hollywood spots, they host parties with other industry players (like the popular Netflix-Weinstein Co. Golden Globes party), and they know how to promote their content creatively — like that time Frank Underwood made an appearance during a commercial break for a recent GOP debate.

All the while, they remain mysterious about their viewership statistics (though many people enjoy speculating). They tout their streaming numbers only if and when they want to. Man In The High Castle, for example, became Amazon's most watched show ever — but no one knows what that actually means.

By riding on this momentum and buzz, both Netflix and Amazon have proved they're in it to win it in the long run — and they don't try to hide this ambition.

"We want to win an Oscar," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told a German newspaper in December. "Amazon has already won Golden Globes and Emmys. Our current target is to produce 16 home movies a year."

That's right: 16 movies every year.

The studio announced earlier this week that its second film — Paterson — is being directed by Jim Jarmusch (known for indie film Coffee and Cigarettes) and stars Adam Driver (fresh off his Star Wars fame). Also reportedly on deck: A Don Quixote adaptation from celebrated director Terry Gilliam, who's been trying to make this movie for over a decade.

Netflix, too, is expanding its ever-growing library.

“I think it’s fair to say we expect to double the amount of original content every year for the next several years," Neil Hunt, Netflix's chief product officer, told Mashable at the Consumer Electronic Show earlier this month. "It’s going to be a big deal. An increasing amount of that will come from elsewhere with content we produce all over the world in front of a global audience.”

For creatives, the promise of big funding and more freedom has gone a long way. The streaming giants invest a lot of money to help creators bring their stories to life — a big draw for those looking to have fewer restrictions on their content without preventing it from reaching a large audience.

Netflix, which boasts 69 million subscribers, spent a whopping $12 for worldwide rights to the Cary Fukunaga-directed Beasts of No Nation, a drama about child soldiers that stars Idris Elba and 15-year-old Abraham Attah.

Despite the lack of Oscar nods, the film was recognized by by the Screen Actor’s Guild, the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and the Independent Spirit Awards.

Mashable
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